Image credit: Billboard Music Awards/@BBMAs/Twitter
The 2022 Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs) ceremony was held at MGM Grand Garden Arena in the American city of Las Vegas on 15 May.
The event was hosted by Sean “Diddy” Combs, a two-time winner at BBMAs. Honouring top artists on the Billboard chart in 62 categories, the awards for 2022 were given for Billboard chart dates from 10 April 2021 through 26 March 2022.
Drake won the Top Artist award beating fellow nominees Doja Cat, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd. The Canadian rapper, singer-songwriter also won the Top Male Artist award. The other nominees in the category were Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, Lil Nas X and The Weeknd.
Drake, the most decorated artist at BBMA, took his total wins to 34 adding the 2022 honours for Top Rap Artist, Top Rap Male Artist, and Top Rap Album for Certified Lover Boy.
Taylor Swift, who has previously won 25 BBMA awards and is the most decorated female artist of all time, added four more to her collection. She won the awards for Top Billboard 200 Artist, Top Country Artist, Top Country Female Artist, and Top Country Album for Red (Taylor’s Version).
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Rodrigo took home the Top New Artist award as well as the Top Female Artist. She also won Top Hot 100 Artist, Top Streaming Songs Artist, Top Radio Songs Artist, Top Billboard Global 200 Artist, and Top Billboard 200 Album for Sour.
Acclaimed K-pop group BTS, who were not in attendance, took home multiple honours. Among them were the Top Duo/Group award, Top Song Sales Artist, and the Top Selling Song award for “Butter”. The seven-member group was also nominated in the Top Billboard Global (Excl. U.S.) Artist category.
It was the third time BTS won the Top Duo/Group award, tying with the record held by One Direction for most wins in the category. The three awards also made BTS the most successful group in BBMAs history. The K-pop band now has a total of 12 honours at the event, taking them past the record of 11 awards held by Destiny’s Child’s for 17 years.
The Weeknd led the nominations with 17 nods but could win only one award — Top R&B Male Artist.
Doja Cat won the Top R&B Artist, Top R&B Female, Top R&B Album, and Top Viral Song for “Kiss Me More”, featuring SZA, out of her 14 nominations. Bieber, who had an equal number of nominations, won the Top Streaming Song, Top Hot 100 Song, Top Collaboration, Top Billboard Global 200 Song, and Top Billboard Global (Excl. U.S.) Song all for “Stay” with The Kid LAROI.
Mary J. Blige received the Billboard Icon Award while 14-year-old environmental justice advocate Mari Copeny was awarded the third annual Billboard Music Award Changemaker Award.
A total of 16 artists, cutting across genres, performed at the electrifying show. Among them were nominees Ed Sheeran, Morgan Wallen, Miranda Lambert.
Sheeran didn’t appear in-person. He performed from Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he is present for his ongoing stadium tour. Wallen, on the other hand, delivered his first performance since the controversy around him saying the N-word on camera in 2021.
Travis Scott, too, performed at BBMA marking his first awards show performance since the November 2021 incident at Astroworld Festival in Houston where 10 people died in a stampede during his event.
Silk Sonic, which won four Grammy Awards at the 2022 ceremony, performed at BBMA for the first time.
Elle King and Miranda Lambert together performed at the ceremony.
Paying tribute to Michael Jackson’s album Thriller (1982) on its 40th anniversary year, Maxwell performed the Rod Temperton ballad “The Lady of My Life” — the closing track of the album.
Megan Thee Stallion, who won the Top Rap Female Artist award, was also among the performers.
Among the other performers were Florence + The Machine and Machine Gun Kelly.
K-pop star AleXa, who won the American Song Contest in May 2022, was both a presenter and performer. AleXa was also the only K-pop idol to attend the 2022 Billboard Music Awards.
The BBMAs were presented by a host of stars from the entertainment world including those who have tasted Billboard success such as Pusha T, Michael Bublé and DJ Khaled. The others included musicians such as Michael Bublé, Giveon, Chlöe Bailey, and Dixie D’Amelio as well as actors or TV hosts such as Anthony Anderson, Tiffany Haddish, Heidi Klum and Liza Koshy.
The finalists for BBMAs are decided by Billboard charts performance. The finalists and eventual winners are determined through a system involving fan interactions with album and digital song sales besides tours, radio airplay and streaming that are tracked by Billboard and its data partners.
Doja Cat
Drake
Olivia Rodrigo
Taylor Swift
The Weeknd
Givēon
Masked Wolf
Olivia Rodrigo
Pooh Shiesty
The Kid LAROI
Drake
Ed Sheeran
Justin Bieber
Lil Nas X
The Weeknd
Adele
Doja Cat
Dua Lipa
Olivia Rodrigo
Taylor Swift
BTS
Glass Animals
Imagine Dragons
Migos
Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak)
Adele
Drake
Juice WRLD
Morgan Wallen
Taylor Swift
Doja Cat
Drake
Justin Bieber
Olivia Rodrigo
The Weeknd
Doja Cat
Drake
Lil Nas X
Olivia Rodrigo
The Weeknd
Adele
BTS
Dua Lipa
Ed Sheeran
Walker Hayes
Doja Cat
Ed Sheeran
Justin Bieber
Olivia Rodrigo
The Weeknd
Doja Cat
Ed Sheeran
Justin Bieber
Olivia Rodrigo
The Weeknd
BTS
Dua Lipa
Ed Sheeran
Olivia Rodrigo
The Weeknd
Eagles (Hotel California Tour)
Genesis (The Last Domino? Tour)
Green Day, Fall Out Boy & Weezer (The Hella Mega Tour)
Harry Styles (Love on Tour)
The Rolling Stones (No Filter Tour)
Doja Cat
Givēon
Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak)
Summer Walker
The Weeknd
Givēon
Khalid
The Weeknd
Doja Cat
Summer Walker
SZA
Bruno Mars (Bruno Mars at Park MGM)
Omarion & Bow Wow (The Millennium Tour 2021)
Usher (The Vegas Residency)
Drake
Juice WRLD
Lil Baby
Moneybagg Yo
Polo G
Drake
Juice WRLD
Polo G
Cardi B
Latto
Megan Thee Stallion
Cole (The Off-Season Tour)
Lil Baby (The Back Outside Tour)
Omarion & Bow Wow (The Millennium Tour 2021)
Chris Stapleton
Luke Combs
Morgan Wallen
Taylor Swift
Walker Hayes
Chris Stapleton
Luke Combs
Morgan Wallen
Carrie Underwood
Miranda Lambert
Taylor Swift
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
Zac Brown Band
Luke Bryan (Proud to Be Right Here Tour)
Eric Church (Gather Again Tour)
Chris Stapleton (All-American Road Show Tour)
Glass Animals
Imagine Dragons
Machine Gun Kelly
Måneskin
twenty one pilots
Genesis (The Last Domino? Tour)
Green Day, Fall Out Boy & Weezer (The Hella Mega Tour)
The Rolling Stones (No Filter Tour)
Bad Bunny
Farruko
Kali Uchis
Karol G
Rauw Alejandro
Bad Bunny
Farruko
Rauw Alejandro
Kali Uchis
Karol G
Rosalía
Calibre 50
Eslabon Armado
Grupo Firme
Bad Bunny (El Último Tour Del Mundo)
Enrique Iglesias & Ricky Martin (Live in Concert)
Los Bukis (Una Historia Cantada Tour)
Calvin Harris
David Guetta
Lady Gaga
Marshmello
Tiësto
Carrie Underwood
Elevation Worship
for King & Country
Lauren Daigle
Ye
CeCe Winans
Elevation Worship
Kirk Franklin
Maverick City Music
Ye
Adele, 30
Doja Cat, Planet Her
Drake, Certified Lover Boy
Morgan Wallen, Dangerous: The Double Album
Olivia Rodrigo, SOUR
Arcane League of Legends
Encanto
In The Heights
Sing 2
tick, tick…BOOM!
Doja Cat, Planet Her
Givēon, When It’s All Said and Done…Take Time
Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak), An Evening With Silk Sonic
Summer Walker, Still Over It
The Weeknd, Dawn FM
Drake, Certified Lover Boy
Moneybagg Yo, A Gangsta’s Pain
Rod Wave, SoulFly
The Kid LAROI, F*ck Love
Ye, Donda
Florida Georgia Line, Life Rolls On
Lee Brice, Hey World
Taylor Swift, Fearless (Taylor’s Version)
Taylor Swift, Red (Taylor’s Version)
Walker Hayes, Country Stuff: The Album
AJR, OK Orchestra
Coldplay, Music of the Spheres
Imagine Dragons, Mercury – Act 1
John Mayer, Sob Rock
twenty one pilots, Scaled and Icy
Eslabon Armado, Corta Venas
J Balvin, Jose
Kali Uchis, Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios) ∞
Karol G, KG0516
Rauw Alejandro, Vice Versa
C418, Minecraft – Volume Alpha
FKA twigs, Caprisongs
Illenium, Fallen Embers
Porter Robinson, Nurture
Rüfüs Du Sol, Surrender
Carrie Underwood, My Savior
CeCe Winans, Believe for It
Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music, Old Church Basement
Phil Wickham, Hymn of Heaven
Ye, Donda
CeCe Winans, Believe for It
Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music, Old Church Basement
Maverick City Music, Jubilee: Juneteenth Edition
Maverick City Music & Upperroom, move your heart.
Ye, Donda
Doja Cat ft. SZA, “Kiss Me More”
Dua Lipa, “Levitating”
Olivia Rodrigo, “good 4 u”
The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber, “Stay”
The Weeknd & Ariana Grande, “Save Your Tears”
Dua Lipa, “Levitating”
Glass Animals, “Heat Waves”
Olivia Rodrigo, “good 4 u”
The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber, “Stay”
The Weeknd & Ariana Grande, “Save Your Tears”
BTS, “Butter”
BTS, “Permission to Dance”
Dua Lipa, “Levitating”
Ed Sheeran, “Bad Habits”
Walker Hayes, “Fancy Like”
Dua Lipa, “Levitating”
Ed Sheeran, “Bad Habits”
Olivia Rodrigo, “good 4 u”
The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber, “Stay”
The Weeknd & Ariana Grande, “Save Your Tears”
Doja Cat ft. SZA, “Kiss Me More”
Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar & GIVĒON, “Peaches”
Lil Nas X ft. Jack Harlow, “Industry Baby”
The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber, “Stay”
The Weeknd & Ariana Grande, “Save Your Tears”
Dua Lipa, “Levitating”
Ed Sheeran, “Bad Habits”
Olivia Rodrigo, “good 4 u”
The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber, “Stay”
The Weeknd & Ariana Grande, “Save Your Tears”
BTS, “Butter”
Ed Sheeran, “Bad Habits”
Lil Nas X, “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)”
The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber, “Stay”
The Weeknd & Ariana Grande, “Save Your Tears”
Doja Cat ft. SZA, “Kiss Me More”
Gayle, “abcdefu”
Glass Animals, “Heat Waves”
Masked Wolf, “Astronaut In The Ocean”
Walker Hayes, “Fancy Like”
Doja Cat & The Weeknd, “You Right”
Givēon, “Heartbreak Anniversary”
Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar & Givēon, “Peaches”
Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak), “Leave The Door Open”
WizKid ft. Justin Bieber & Tems, “Essence”
Drake ft. 21 Savage, Project Pat, “Knife Talk”
Drake ft. Future & Young Thug, “Way 2 Sexy”
Lil Nas X ft. Jack Harlow, “Industry Baby”
Masked Wolf, “Astronaut In The Ocean”
Polo G, “Rapstar”
Chris Stapleton, “You Should Probably Leave”
Jason Aldean & Carrie Underwood, “If I Didn’t Love You”
Jordan Davis ft. Luke Bryan, “Buy Dirt”
Luke Combs, “Forever After All”
Walker Hayes, “Fancy Like”
Coldplay X BTS, “My Universe”
Elle King & Miranda Lambert, “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)”
Imagine Dragons, “Follow You”
Måneskin, “Beggin’”
The Anxiety: Willow & Tyler Cole, “Meet Me at Our Spot”
Aventura x Bad Bunny, “Volví”
Bad Bunny, “Yonaguni”
Farruko, “Pepas”
Kali Uchis, “telepatía”
Rauw Alejandro, “Todo De Ti”
Elton John & Dua Lipa, “Cold Heart – PNAU Remix”
Farruko, “Pepas”
Regard x Troye Sivan x Tate McRae, “You”
Tiësto, “The Business”
Travis Scott & HVME, “Goosebumps”
Anne Wilson, “My Jesus”
Ye, “Hurricane”
Ye, “Moon”
Ye, “Off The Grid”
Ye, “Praise God”
Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music ft. Chandler Moore & Naomi Raine, “Jireh”
Ye, “Hurricane”
Ye, “Moon”
Ye, “Off the Grid”
Ye, “Praise God”
This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia India
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